Automobile-top.



F. c. BROCK & w. E, ALLISON.

AUTOMOBILE TOP.- APPLICATION FILED 050.2.1915.

Patented Mar. 19, L918.

2 SHEETS-SHEE T l- F. C. BROCK & W. E. ALLISON.

AUTOMOBILE TOP.

AFPLICATION FILED DEC-2. I915.

1,260,120. V Patented Mar.19,19l8.

UNTT

STT FTENT @FFTQE.

FREDERICK C. BROCK AND 'WILLIAM E. ALLISON, OF COLUMBUS, OHIO, ASSIGNORS TO THE 3'. P. GORDON COMPANY, OF COLUMBUS, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

AUTOMOBILE-TOP.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 19, 1918.

Application filed December 2, 1915. Serial No. 64,730.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that We, FREDERICK C. BROCK and l/VILLIAM E. ALLISON, citizens of the United States of America, residing at Columbus, in the county of Franklin and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automobile- Tops, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to automobile tops and is particularly applicable to automobiles of the roadster type.

The development of the automobile has been accompanied in a measure by the development of its top. At first, the normal buggy top was applied to the roadster type of automobile and was also adapted to the touring car by the simple expedient of duplicating the bows. It appeared in time that this buggy top structure, besides being unsightly, possessed a further drawback in that its bows offered an obstruction to entering or leaving the car. The first effort to remedy this defect, consisted in the use of a forward bow manually adjustable to assume an operative position wherein its inner end was raised to dispose the bow substantially at rightangles to its adjacent bow. This front bow had to be adjusted manually both in collapsing and elevating the top.

With the advent of the one-man top for touring car bodies similar structures have been applied to roadsters, though not generally. The evident purpose of this was the avoidance of the necessity for manual adjustment of the front bow and possibly the improvement of the appearance of the top.

Whether or not the appearance is important, the necessity for manual adjustment of this front bow before moving it from one position to the other has been a distinct nuisance. Theoretically the one-man tops for roadsters can be thrown up or down by one lift or push. In practice, this is not the case. On the contrary, the operator must set the joints of each side independently V Our improvement goes right to the heart f of the problem.- It recognizes the desirability of supporting the-top by a single standard on each side with the'result'ant improvement in appearances and freedom from .-obstructions to the entranceof the car. It i provides a front bow which does not obstruct the car entrance when the top is up and this is accomplished by an adjustable front how. The point is, however, that the said front bow is automatically adjustable rather than manually. Thus this front bow is parallel with its adjacent bow when the top is collapsed, but it automatically moves, with the raising of the top, into a position substantially at right angles to its adjacent bow. Our improvement goes one step farther in that the rear bow of the top is likewise automatically adjustable in a manner substantially similar to the forward bow.

Our invention goes much farther than this, however, for it embodies such structural features that the adjustment of one bow automatically brings about a corresponding adjustment of its complemental bow, due to an operative connection between the front and rear bows.

A feature ofimportance in our improvement arises from the manner in which we have utilized the forward bow as a lever to raise the rear bow and in the course of such operation to be acted upon by this rear Eow to complete the elevation of the front A noticeable result of our improved structure arises from the fact that an operator can sit in the car or stand in front or on either side of the car, and with one puller push raise or lower the top.

The manner in which this is accomplished and the advantageous features of our in- ,vention will be brought out in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein In the drawings, the body of the roadster may be designated 1 and is shown provided :with supports 2 for the pivotal mounting of standards 3 which are joined together at .their upper ends bythe bow 4-.- Inour construct ion-of top,- thisbow and its supporting.

top and are supplemented by a forward bow 5 and a rear bow 6, the latter preferably carrying a subordinate bow'or cross piece 7. The important thing to note, 1n'the' first place, is the position of the bows 5 and- 6 both when the top is raised and when it is collapsed. /Vhen raised, it will beapparen that only one bow is showing and that is the bow 3-4. Furthermore, there is absolutelyno obstruction protruding over the door of the roadster. g V V The manner in which the bows 5 and 6 are supported on the bow 3 -4 is best illustrated in Figs. 1, 2 and 3. The bow 5 is pivotally connected intermediate its length as at 8 by links 9 whose opposite ends are pivoted atlO neartheupper ends ofthebows 34. There, is a stop 11 to limit the upward movement of the inner ends of the bow 5. lhese inner ends may be pulled downward and forward for collapsing the top by handles '12 connected thereto. lhe obvious result is that the bow 5, being in the position shown in Fig. 1 may becollapsed by grasping and pulling downward on the handles 12. I The inner extremities of this how 5 travel downwardly and forwardly through the position shown in Fig. Q'and then downwardly and 'rearwardly into parallelism with the bow 3-4 which has been moved backward into the position of Fig. t.

' The'bow 6 is connected to the how 5 by twoexternal links 13,'these links'being rigidly mounted onsaid bow '6. (Note that the links 9 are disposed on and connected to the'inside of the bow 5 and the bow 3%.) These links 13 have a pivotal connection to the bow 5 between the extremitiesthereof and the points of connection 8 of the links 9. 'Furthermorathe links 13 are slotted as at latte ride upon the pins 15. The connection is I such that downward movement of the inner ends of the bow 5'draws the links 13 and consequently the bow 6 downwardly and forwardlly and then downwardly and rearwardly until finally the how '6 is likewise. parallel with the standards 3.

Close observation of this collapsing operation will show that upward pressure upon the forward extremity of the bow 5 converts this how into a lever fulcrumed at 8"and pulling the links 13 and the bow 6 into collapsed relation. As willbelpointed out, this leverage action is more important in the raising of the top but it is undeniable that it exists in l the lowering operation. Not only does the how 5 serve as a lever, but'after partial collapse, the bow 6 tends to apply its weight to she moViIlg outwar of the lower and of the ibo'w- 5. v I i el vation the top, the operation is e013. The-bow '5 may be raspe'd at its forwhile still in his seat and a moderate for-- ward and upward pull will cause the links 9, to move outwardly and upwardlywhilethe inner ends'of the bow,5 move inwardly and upwardly'to proper'raised' position. It is important to notice that this operation causes the bow 5 to exercise the functions of alever. This lever is fulcrumed at 8 upon the links 9 and its force is applied to the links'13 so that by the exertion of very little power, these links 18 and their bows 6 are thrown toward raised position. When a deadcenter is past, the weight of the'bow 6' becomes an advantage and tends to snap the top into finally raised position. 'The framework of the'top maybe covered by a covering 16 and may be secured at its forward end by the element 17.

When the top is in collapsed position: we find it desirable to provide a means for-preventing rattling or accidental displacement of the parts. The means we have illustrated comprises a loop 18 on each 7 of the side standards 3 and two supplemental L-shaped fingers 19 on the upper side and near the rear ends of the bow 5. The manner of cooperation will be apparent by inspection of Fig. 4.

It is unnecessary to again enumerate the advantageous features of thistop but it may be noted that the appearance ofthe car is much improved by the use of a single vertical standard not supplemented by radiating bows. In addition, the parts of this top are not simply dead'jweights to lee-lifted: or low- 100 cred as in the old form of top. Instead, these parts have t only been made automatically adjustable but they have been given'an interconnection which attime 's convents them into leversand afiords undeniable 105 mechanical advantages in manipulation;

tral bow, a front how, a rear bow, 'a link extending from said central bow to-an'intermediate point on said front bow, said rear bow havinga pin and slot connectionwi-th said central bow and pivoted to'said' front bow. 2.' An automobile top-comprising a central' bow, a rear bow having a pin and slot mounting on said central bow, and'a front bow linked to said central bow and so connected to said rear bow as to'exert a leverage thereon to adjust the pin and slot connection to move the rear bow into and outof operative position. v p i 3. An automobile top comprising a central bow, a front bow, alink connecting said front bow at point if-nicermediat'e its/ends to said central how, a rear-howjmounted on said central bow and slidable' transversely thereof, sa d rear bow being connected to -said'sf'rontbow insuch" a manner that main bow by a sliding connection, the inner end of said rear bow being connected to 10 said front bow.

In testimony whereof we hereby affix our signatures.

front bow serves as a lever to efl'ect sliding of said rear bow into and out of operative position.

4. An automobile top comprising a main bow, a front bow linked to said main bow and having its inner end adapted to slide along said main bow, and a rear bow directly supported intermediate its ends upon said FREDERICK C. BROOK. WILLIAM E. ALLISON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. (2. 

